One of the most important things that you can do for your family members is to improve the condition of the air in your home. You run your air conditioning system to keep everyone in the home more comfortable, and you try to change the filter as often to filter out some of the harmful particles that move through the air. But are you really doing all you can to reduce allergens? Take a look at some of the products and services you can bring into your home to make your air a little bit healthier.
ACI Northwest Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Indoor Air Quality’
5 Indoor Air Quality Systems and Services to Reduce Allergens in Your Home
Monday, April 13th, 2015How Does Air Conditioning Affect Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality?
Wednesday, June 26th, 2013Is your home hot, stuffy, and uncomfortable? Do you have contaminants circulating throughout the air in your home? While many homeowners enjoy cool air flowing throughout their homes, some are unaware that cool air does not alone give them home comfort. Much of the comfort of the home depends on the relative humidity inside the house, as well as the levels of dust, dander, mold spores, pollen, and other contaminants moving around. To stay comfortable during the summer, as well as year-round, consider integrating an indoor air quality device with your existing HVAC system. In today’s post, we’d like to look at the relation between air conditioning and indoor air quality. Call ACI Northwest today for comprehensive air conditioning services in Spokane, WA.
While your air conditioner has an air filter, it is not intended for the purpose of those inside the house. Rather, the air filter is there to protect the equipment from accumulating excessive debris, and only has the side effect of removing some particles from the air that you breathe. Keeping the air filter clean is part of your duties as a homeowner (check it about once a month during the cooling season), but in order to reap the benefits of filtered air throughout the home, you may need something more comprehensive, such as a mechanical air filter, or an electronic air cleaner. Another important aspect is relative humidity. A whole-house humidifier or dehumidifier can give you another way to optimize your home comfort.
Ventilation is incredibly important, but the design of the modern home favors energy efficiency over the circulation of fresh air throughout the home. Homes with central air or a heat pump can often experience stale air that requires ventilation. Although fresh air is critical to your health and comfort, you probably want to avoid letting your conditioned airflow out of the window to keep energy costs low. When professionally installed, an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) gives you excellent ventilation while reducing the energy inefficiency associated with fresh air coming into the home.
Call the air conditioning technicians at ACI Northwest today to learn more about our services.
Your HVAC System and Ventilation
Monday, June 25th, 2012The vent system in your home is vital to the operation of your HVAC system. Without successful ventilation, your home won’t have the necessary clean air to keep you and your family healthy. So, what does proper ventilation require and how can you ensure your home has it? Here are some quick tips.
Install the Right Parts from the Start
Proper ventilation should result in even air pressure in your home to avoid problems with gas pilot lights. It should also be as energy efficient as possible and provide clean air through proper filtration and cleaning of the air that comes in. The best way to ensure your home has the ventilation needed to stay comfortable and safe for your entire family is to check the total size of the home and then measure the concentrations of certain pollutants like dander, pollen and smoke. A contractor can provide these services for you.
Energy Loss
Another major ventilation issue to keep in mind is energy loss. Ventilation tends to remove heated or cooled air from your home, forcing your furnace or air conditioner to work harder to replace it. As a result, you pay more for energy and it’s never quite comfortable inside.
To avoid this problem, ask about an energy recovery ventilator. These devices are designed to transfer heat from one environment into another. So, in the winter, heated air inside is kept inside and in the summer, cooled air is kept inside. The result is a much lower energy bill without a disruption to your ventilation sources.
Supplements to Ventilation
Proper ventilation should not only provide fresh air, but it should also ensure your home has clean air. The air outside may be fresher, but it can be filled with pollutants like pollen, dander and smoke. These should be removed before they get inside and into the lungs of your loved ones. To do this, you need a full sized air cleaning system that removes particles from the air down to 0.3 microns.
HEPA filters can do this, as will electronic air cleaners which can ionize and remove smoke and gas particles. Make sure you discuss filtration and cleaning with your HVAC contractor when they visit your home. To learn more ways to improve your home’s ventilation, give ACI Northwest a call!
Bayview HVAC Contractor Guide: Essential Components of a Home Comfort System
Friday, January 13th, 2012Indoor comfort is defined by several factors: temperature, humidity, and air quality. If any one of the three is out of the “normal” range it can affect the quality of life in your Bayview home.
The ultimate goal of any heating & cooling contractor is to ensure that customers are comfortable – meaning that all three factors are addressed when servicing, replacing, or installing new equipment in a home. This equipment includes furnaces and air conditioners but also extends to humidifiers, dehumidifiers, electronic filters, ultraviolet (UV) lighting, infrared heating, etc.
Obviously, the essential component for most U.S. households is a furnace. Air conditioners may not be essential for all parts of the U.S., namely the northern states, but are still considered an integral part of any home comfort system. Add-ons like de-humidifiers and electronic filters are important for controlling the air quality.
Let’s look at the furnace first. There are several choices but most can be found in two different classifications: single-stage or variable speed two-stage. Your choice depends on the indoor square footage, your own comfort needs, and possibly the cost of energy units (gas or electric for example). Forced air is a common method of moving heated air to all parts of the home via an air handling unit and through a duct system. But gaining in popularity is radiant heat (electric), which does not utilize a duct system.
Air conditioners also come in a variety of sizes, including window/room air conditioners or central air conditioning, which is likely a “split” system including an outdoor unit and indoor coil. The size of the air conditioner is determined by square footage, which is part of a load calculation performed by qualified heating & cooling contractors while planning the equipment replacement or new installation. An oversized air conditioner may produce high humidity levels and an undersized unit may not provide enough cooling to all areas of the home. High humidity levels contribute to higher indoor temperatures in the summer, and can also lead to respiratory problems.
If someone in your home has allergies or is sensitive to certain pollutants in the air, it may be important to include extra filtration in your heating & cooling system, such as electronic filtration and UV lighting mounted in the buildings duct system, to kill germs and contaminants.
And speaking of an essential component, duct systems are keys to maximizing efficiency and comfort. Properly sized, insulated, and sealed, the duct system is a key to comfortable, healthy indoor air – and energy efficiency. It is also important to keep your duct system clean, too.
As always, it is best to consult with a licensed Bayview heating and cooling contractor who can offer the best solutions for your home comfort system.
Simple Household Cleaning Tips to Maintain Good Indoor Air Quality in Airway Heights
Wednesday, September 7th, 2011There are a lot of reasons to clean in Airway Heights. Guests, children, pets, simple peace of mind – without the right amount of cleaning, a messy house can quickly get out of control. But, don’t forget the health benefits of removing excess dust and sediment from your home with regular cleaning. To ensure your indoor air quality doesn’t take an unnecessary hit, here are a few basic cleaning tips you can implement right away.
- Regular Vacuuming – Most people vacuum occasionally when it’s obvious that carpets are getting a little messy. Consider increasing the frequency of your vacuuming to at least 3-4 times per week, possibly more, especially if you have pets. Regular vacuuming removes a lot of the airborne particles that can get into your lungs and cause allergies or asthma flare ups.
- Remove Junk from Floor Spaces – Toys, garbage, clothes, and other random junk sitting on the floor can create air quality problems, especially if they are near or around vents.
- Bathe and Brush Pets – Pet dander is a top contributor to indoor air quality problems. Bathe and brush your pets once a week to reduce hair loss and get rid of all that excess dander that builds up over time. Consider it an investment in the cleanliness of your home.
- Shoes Outside – Shoes bring in pollen and other outdoor pollutants. Take them off outside and you will reduce the number of contaminants that make it inside.
- Remove Moisture from Bathrooms – Bathroom moisture results in mold growth and the development of other allergens. Wipe down the walls of your shower and mop the floor daily to remove excess moisture after showers.
- Food Waste – Throw away food waste immediately. Food in the sink or garbage can attracts bacteria and bugs and can result in mold growth very quickly. Consider a compost bucket or pile outside where food waste can be disposed or purchase a garbage disposal to get rid of it immediately after eating.
There are dozens more little things you can do that will reduce the amount of allergens and pollutants that build up in and around your home. Consider creating a simple calendar schedule you can follow from day to day to keep your indoor environment clean and healthy.
How to Reduce Indoor Allergens: A Tip From Cocolalla
Friday, August 26th, 2011Indoor allergens range from the obnoxious like pet dander, pollen and dust to the downright dangerous like mold, smoke and dust mites. Typically, you won’t even realize you have allergens in your Cocolalla home until one or more members of your family develop symptoms of discomfort or illness with no clear reason. Long term respiratory or allergic issues when inside the house are usually a clear sign of an indoor allergen problem – usually something you can fix.
Identify the Allergen
Step one is to identify the source of the discomfort. Most allergens are related to something you have in or around your home. For example, if you have a cat or dog, you very likely have high levels of pet dander. A flower garden outside or lots of plants inside can result in high pollen levels. Excess moisture in your basement or attic can result in dust mite and mold growth.
If you are unsure of what allergens are causing your discomfort, there are companies that can test the air in your home for specific allergens. These tests look for all allergens as well as potentially dangerous contaminants like radon and MVOC toxins from mold and mildew. Whether you need such testing depends on the severity of your health concerns and the initial inspection performed by your contractor.
Getting Rid of Allergens
Once you know for sure what your problem is, it’s time to cut back on the allergens. Mechanical fixes are available in the form of air filters and advanced ventilation systems. You can supplement those solutions by implementing a series of simple upgrades to your insulation to keep out the pollutants that are outside.
The key is to make sure the air flows freely through your home and filters remove and ventilate the air properly to keep it from growing too stale and making you sick. You can also cut back on the use of certain chemicals and materials that cause allergens to build up. For example, aerosols, paints and glues produce a number of irritating gases that tend to stick around inside.
Additionally, make sure your pets are cleaned often and that your upholstery and carpet is vacuumed daily by a HEPA quality vacuum cleaner. This will severely reduce the presence of dust, dust mites and dander.
By focusing heavily on the reduction of pollutants and allergens like dander, pollen and dust, most of your indoor air quality problems will be solved. It just takes awareness and action.
Check Out Our Blog for the Latest in HVAC Technology
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011Be sure to bookmark the ACI Northwest Inc. blog for updates on the latest advances in HVAC technology.
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